Mechanical Tyranny: Codex
by TealDragonsUnite
Summary: A mystery centuries old is getting bored of itself. When probes are sent into space without Their approval, those responsible are going to pay dearly in service to none other than CHROME. Featuring the characters left behind in FrankenRush/First Contact.


A silver Jaguar darted from hangar to hangar, checking to make sure everything had been gathered. So many abandoned buildings so close together made for a perfect place to hide, even if it was a curse at that very moment. Leaving even a scrap of paper could give Them an advantage. Felix was lucky to find that there wasn't anything left. As far as he knew, anyways. Maristella could have taken evidence with her when she ditched the town, in which case he and Streak were even more trouble than they already were.

Rush and Firefly had only left a few months before - once They discovered that those two planes had exited the atmosphere, it was clear that the government had been thrown into panic, attempting to build the military as strong as they could. _Especially_ the Air Force. Planes began disappearing, all of them fighters, and none of them ever returning. Well… one did. Kind of.

Of course, Felix figured something like that was going to happen sooner than later. He'd been fighting with his on-board computer since earlier that day - he never outright told Streak, but the only thing he could chalk it up to was a virus… and at the exact moment when it showed up, there wasn't anything else it could have been. When he saw the first military vehicle arrive in Propwash, all he could think to do was run. Destroy everything and run.

The ground shook with the landing of a transport plane. Time was up. After meeting with Streak, ensuring that the dragon's radio headset - which he'd encrypted a while ago - was still working, Felix told him and Neko to go ahead - they would need the head start, as organic creatures were much less durable than vehicles. That, and if They really _were_ just looking for Felix, it would fulfill his promise to Rush of keeping the dragons safe.

He had one last thing he needed to take care of, though.

The car moved into another abandoned hangar. Streak had already used his ice breath to destroy everything in it, with the exception of a powered-down F-18: Foxtrot.

Once Felix realized Foxtrot was bugged, it was too late to go back - in all honesty, he was truly hoping that he could bring the plane's memories back. When Felix tried to access his memory banks, though, a defence mechanism activated, completely draining Foxtrot's electricity reserves and destroying two computers with a virus: an old laptop and Felix's own processors. The car would've reset him again, if his computer wasn't malfunctioning and if Streak didn't protest, but neither of those were true. The plane couldn't do more damage than he already caused, anyway.

Starting up his computer - and fighting it all the while - Felix managed to send a simple command to put the plane back online.

Foxtrot's eye hologram lit up, revealing utter confusion. "Geez! What the-"

"No time for that," he interrupted quickly, allowing the plane to look around for a minute to orient himself. "The government's traced your location. All our locations."

"How do you know? How long was I down?"

Felix sighed, trying to be patient. Typical AI. "It's sundown, same day. Don't ask what time it is, because I'm honestly clueless. Took a bit longer than I thought to get a hold of the batteries you needed. And, if you couldn't tell already, Streak and I aren't exactly welcome where They go. You're the last thing that had to be finished… and then we're getting out of here. Well… the others went ahead already."

The plane disengaged his brakes, moving forwards and looking out the door. "...I still don't remember anything."

"Your memories are encrypted… to the point where there's probably only one or two people that know how to unlock them. Those people aren't me. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I _did_ try."

"Well, crap. Thanks anyway… but crap."

"That's not the pressing issue right now, though. Do you remember what I said about you being bugged?"

"Clara?" The real Foxtrot would've called her Claire. Everyone knew that.

"And Dottie." _Poor thing._ "They're looking for you, Streak, myself, and I don't know how many others. Any escape has to happen _now,_ but I can't risk you coming with us. The road should be long enough for an emergency takeoff if you-"

"I'm not leaving yet."

Or at all. Foxtrot was no longer anything but Their pawn. Felix had to keep playing along. "You're not going to-?"

"I will. Just not without Clara. I'm the one that got her in this mess. I'll get her out."

A likely story. Foxtrot was going back to make sure his target didn't escape being drafted. Felix let him go. Collateral damage couldn't be avoided in this case, he supposed.

As soon as the plane had left, Felix did the same. Tires screeching as he quickly approached his top speed, he practically flew down the road out of Propwash; in no time, he'd almost caught up with the dragons, but he made sure to stay just behind them regardless. "Got Foxtrot up and running," he said quickly, having turned on his own radio, "He went straight back to Them as soon as he saw they were here, but he's up."

"Is that supposed to be good or bad or both?" Streak asked in a rushed way, trying to keep up speed.

"No idea. But maybe he'll focus more on Clar-" the rotors of a helicopter buzzed in the distance. _Crap._ "Get away from the road! Go!"

Streak's eyes flashed blue, teeth bared, and throat glowing "You forget I have ice breath," he snarled stubbornly, wheeling about in the air, nearly throwing Neko off his shoulders, and preparing himself to face whatever foe would show its face. "And training in battle."

"Does it _matter_? You're an _organic_ lifeform going against a flying _metal_ death machine!" As if on cue, a missile flew through the air, narrowly missing Streak's wing and exploding in a field of corn. "You're gonna kill yourself!"

"Not before I kill him!" he snarled, "Just wait 'til he gets close enough. He'll have a face full of shards."

"Don't you dare. It's not gonna get close enough for you to-" Felix turned around, hoping more than anything that Streak would actually listen. The helicopter chasing them had paused, hovering as if it was waiting for orders. They had a few seconds. "I _promised_ Rush I wouldn't let anything happen to you or Neko while he was gone. Streak, you need to rethink this. _Please_."

The dragon didn't budge, but in his face there was anguish. "If I don't fight, you know just as well as I that they'll find me… I can do this. It's _for_ Rush, and you, and every person on this earth." Having said that, he again took on a very serious, focused look, flexing his claws and allowing a smoke of frost to rise from his mouth.

"You're SACRIFICING yourself-" the helicopter advanced again, firing another missile at Streak. It missed, thankfully, exploding midair a little ways away from the dragon… into a large, steel-cable net that blanketed a patch of corn. "DON'T YOU SEE IT'S A TRAP?!"

Streak pushed himself closer and closer towards the helicopter, summoning deadly ice from his throat until it shot straight at the vehicle, missing only by a hair. Felix's words were drowned out by the intense veil of instinct to defend and protect that had come upon him. Even Neko's desperate wails of terror weren't heard, the tiny dragon begging that Streak run instead of fight, that he end this now before they both were killed.

The helicopter emotionlessly fired again, the specialty missile detonating exactly on cue, just in front of the Streak's stance. Another net emerged from the explosion, wrapping itself tightly around the dragons. The weight of it was enough to knock an actual plane out of the sky.

The dragon floundered with his wings, attempting to flap them in a wild attempt to stay a flight. However, clamped against his body, they were useless, and he and Neko plummeted towards the ground.


End file.
